Abuja: Nigeria’s Minister for Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, has called for urgent measures to address Africa’s water security and sanitation challenges, citing slow progress toward the Africa Water Vision 2025. Utsev made the appeal at the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) West Africa sub-regional meeting and consultation on the post-2025 Africa Water Vision and Policy in Abuja on Tuesday. Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, the minister expressed concerns over the region’s water and sanitation situation.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Utsev highlighted that Africa remains off track in realizing the Africa Water Vision 2025, citing data from the 2024 Water Sector and Sanitation Monitoring and Reporting (WASSMO) report. The report revealed that financing for the water and sanitation sector is inadequate, with heavy reliance on Official Development Assistance (ODA), making sustainable funding difficult. He further noted that 800 million people in Africa lacked access to safely managed sanitation services, while over 400 million people lacked access to safely managed drinking water.
Utsev emphasized that open defecation remains a significant challenge, with 23 percent of the population still practicing it, far from the five percent target by 2025. He stressed the need for new approaches to attract financial resources to the water and sanitation sector at all levels. He also warned that the continent’s growing population and climate change would further strain water resources, noting that Africa’s population is expected to exceed 2.5 billion by 2050, with a 1.5°C rise in average temperature leading to increased water-related natural disasters and economic losses.
The minister reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening water security, improving sanitation and hygiene, and enhancing food security. He outlined several key projects being implemented by his ministry to improve livelihoods, promote sustainable water management, and maximize socio-economic development. Additionally, he announced plans for a National WASH Policy, developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment and other stakeholders, to align Nigeria’s water and sanitation efforts with global standards.
Utsev commended AMCOW, the AU Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the African Development Bank (AfDB) for leading the development of the post-2025 Africa Water Vision and Policy. He urged stakeholders to align the new framework with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the African Union Agenda 2063, ensuring regional cooperation and better access to funding.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of AMCOW, Dr. Rashid Mbaziira, stressed the need for increased investment in Africa’s water sector as the continent reviewed progress on the Africa Water Vision 2025. He noted that the initial vision, established in 2000, aimed for equitable water resource utilization to drive development, reduce poverty, and protect the environment.
Mbaziira explained that in 2022, African water ministers decided to evaluate progress and use the findings as a foundation for shaping a new vision aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. He highlighted that the meeting provided a platform for West Africa to identify its regional priorities, which would be integrated with insights from other African regions to develop a post-2025 Africa Water Vision. He emphasized that insufficient financing for the water sector has limited its contribution to development, and addressing this gap will be crucial in shaping the way forward.
Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of AfDB, the AU Commission, Chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee, and others. Founded in 2002, AMCOW promotes cooperation, security, economic development, and poverty eradication through effective water resource management and supply services. In 2008, at the 11th ordinary session of the African Union (AU) Assembly in Sharm el-Sheikh, Heads of State and Government of the AU agreed on commitments to accelerate the achievement of water and sanitation goals in Africa. AMCOW was mandated to develop and follow up on an implementation strategy for these commitments.